Foot appliance



June 22, 1937. H. T. KRAKAU 2,084,735

FOOT APPLIANCE Filed Nov. 23, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS June 22, 1937. KRAKAU 2,084,735

FOOT APPLIANCE Filed NOV. 23, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY mm 7. ff/m/rfia.

ATTORN EY6 Patented June 22, 1937 assign PATENT lorries FOOT APPLIANCE Harry T. Krakau, Cleveland, Ohio; The Cleveland Trust Company administrator of said Harry T. Krakau, deceased Application November 23, 1934, Serial No. 754,545

2 Claims.

The present invention embodies novel improvements in that type of shoe and foot ventilating contrivances presented in my Letters Patent No. 1,962,822 granted June 12, 1934, and involves a carrying forward of certain of the features of construction and principle of action disclosed in I the invention of said Letters Patent with a view to obtaining a devicefor a like purpose of greater efficiency in practical use, and which affords a ol special novel action in respect to the arch portion of the foot. In my present invention I avail to a large extent'of the ventilating feature of my previous device of the patent above referred to, combining in a. single construction, however,

-said ventilating feature and a resilient arch actuated member, the latter operating in the shoe in which the device is disposed, with a peculiar effect of massaging the arch portion of the foot as the wearer of the shoe walks.

My invention additionally involves an adaptation of the construction of the ventilator contrivance wherewith I am enabled to obtain not only the longitudinal massaging of the arch of the foot, but a transverse massaging of said arch, all

of which has been found to be conducive to great relief on the part of the wearers of shoes equipped with my devices, especially to those persons who must be on their feet continuously hour after hour in the vocations which they follow.

Still a further embodiment of my invention involves a combination arch actuated device or member and cushion heel support in a unitary foot appliance, the said cushion heel support being adapted to relieve the shock incident to the contact of the heel of the shoe with the ground or surface on which the wearer walks in the first cycle of the, movement of the foot as it is applied to such surface and as the weight of the person is initially received thereon.

The various advantages of my invention will appear more fully upon reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in the latter Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of a shoe illustrating my combination ventilator and longitudinal arch actuated part, the illustration being of a longitudinal sectional nature.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of one form of my appliance as illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of a modified form of my invention, wherein the spring arch actuated member is circular and affords both lateral and longitudinal movement by the arch of the foot to cause the bellows action desired for 55 forcing air from beneath the foot and sucking the air back again for ensuring the desired ventilation.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing more fully the arrangement of the appliance of Figure 3 when disposed in a shoe.

Figure 5 is a view like Figure 3, of a different modification, wherein the arch actuated member not only affords a longitudinal massaging of the arch portion of the foot but a broad transverse massaging action of the arch.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the mounting of the device of Figure 5 in the shoe.

Figures 7, 8, and 9 are side views partially broken away, illustrating three phases in regular order of the action of my appliance as shown in Figure 1, the first phase being the depositing of the foot on the ground or other surface with preliminary heel contact, the second, or Figure 8,

illustrating the manner in which the device adjusts itself with massaging effect and ventilating air expulsion when the full weight of the wearer of the shoe is received on the sole of the shoe, and the third phase, as in Figure 9, is when the foot is being lifted off of the ground with the final contact of the toe portion of the sole with the surface on which the wearer walks.

Figure 10 is a bottom plan view of the appliance of Figure 11.

Figure 11 is a side edge view of another modification of the invention, wherein a cushion ventilating heel arch member is utilized.

Referring first to Figure 2, it is notable that my ventilating and arch actuated contrivance includes a soft inner sole member i made of leather or the like and shaped to extend from the rear or heel portion of the shoe beyond the front portion of the arch section at which point said member I may be cut away as shown at 2. Carried by the underside of the attaching insole member I is the spring arch plate 3 secured by riveting or eyeletting, as may be desired, and as shown at 4, to the insole or attaching member I. The eyelets 4 are located at opposite ends of the arch portion of the member I and therefore the spring arch actuated member 3 will be located along and parallel with the arch of the foot of the wearer and the corresponding portion of the shoe which is designated A. For spacing the ends of the member 3 from the sole, slight protuberances or depressed lugs 5 will be availed of after the manner of the showing of similar members in my previous Letters Patent.

In order to fix the attaching or insole member I to the sole portion of the shoe A, I preferably apply an adhesive 6 to the rear extremity of the part I on its bottom surface, and by wetting this adhesive just previous to putting the device of the invention in the shoe, the part i will become adhered to the heel portion of the sole of said shoe and will prevent unauthorized and undesired displacement of my contrivance when properly located in the shoe.

The action of my device as above set forth will be clear from Figures 7, 8, and 9. My objectives in the use of my appliance as set forth are to obtain a thorough ventilation of the foot by the circulation of air around the same in the shoe, and subsequently to obtain a massaging eifect upon said arch as the wearer of the shoe walks back and forth. With the above in mind, the arch member 3 is made of spring metal with its arch curve definitely fixed as shown in Figure 1, and as the foot reaches the ground, see Figure 7, the heel first receives the weight and the pressure of the weight of the body on the foot starts at the heel and gradually moves forward along the arch of the foot and along the spring arch member 3. As the arch of the foot is relaxed before it receives the full weight of the body, the member 3 follows up the arch of the foot with slight pressure, at first just sufficient to give the preliminary massaging effect, and as the foot moves downwardly and the weight is received thereon, the member 3 reaches its maximum of massaging effect.

Thereafter, as shown in Figure 8, the full weight of the body will have collapsed or' forced the yielding arch member 3 and the attaching insole part I nearly flat down against the arch of the shoe, and in such operation of the movement of the parts 3 and i from their position of Figure '7 to the position of Figure 8, the parts 3 and I will act as a sort of bellows to force air from beneath the foot and around the footboth sidewise and forwardly. This is the ventilating operation desired for the foot. Of course, as: the weight of the body is received on the parts 34 and I, as illustrated in Figure 8, the said weight is cushioned owing to the spring action of the member 3.

Figure 9 illustrates the foot as it is leaving the ground, the toe portion of the shoe at the sole being the last point of contact. In this operation, just before the lifting of the foot from the floor or surface of walking, the arch member 3 returns to its original arched formation with the massaging effect, and additionally it affords the suction action of a bellows similar to that incident to the opening of the bellows, thereby drawing air in around the foot with ventilating effect desired and previously referred to. Therefore, it will be seen that in the movements of the shoe from the position of Figure 7 to Figure 8, air will be forced from beneath the foot and around it, whilst in the position of the parts in Figure 9, the air will be drawn again back into the spaces beneath the foot with circulating effect around this member.

The foregoing action of my invention both as to its ventilating action and massaging effect, is highly important. Many persons have sweaty feet, so known, and owing to the excess moisture of their feet, which moisture is frequently found between the toes as well as on the bottom portions of the feet, much discomfort is suffered because of the tendency of the feet and the enclosing stockings or socks to adhere to the shoes and prevent ease of movement of the foot as it expands and contracts within the shoe. By my invention above presented, the said moisture is entirely done away with and the foot remains dry, with resultant increase of comfort of the wearer in the wearing of his shoes, and also the elimination of the bad odor which always accompanies sweaty feet due to the lack of circulation of air around the feet.

In Figures 3 and 4 there is illustrated another form of the invention in which the insole attaching member is designatedla and the spring arch actuating member 3a. In this form the spring arch actuating member is attached by an eyelet or similar means la located at its center, and the general contour of the member 3a is circular or round. The member 3a is equipped with cut-outs or notches I and at opposite sides of these notches are the protuberances 50. for spacing the arch member 3a from the arch portion of the sole of the shoe A. Also, the insole attaching member id is provided with perforations 6 adjacent to the points where the cut-outs l are located, all conducive to permitting thoroughventilation of the appliance since the air which is moved by the bellows-like action of the device can pass through the apertures 8 directly against the foot of the wearer, in an obvious manner. Figure 4 shows how the appliance of Figure 3 is arranged in the shoe, and said appliance has the attaching adhesive portion 6a similar to the portion I previously described.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate another construction of my invention, somewhat similar to that of Figures 3 and 4, excepting that the arch member is arched longitudinally of the sole or arch of the shoe only and does not have the transverse as well as longitudinal arching formation obtained by the concavo-convex plate construction of the member 3a. In Figure 5 the spring arch member is designated 32? and it extends entirely across the arch of the foot as distinguished from the formation of member 3 which is very narrow and only extends along the longitudinal center of the arch of the foot. The member 317 is attached to its insole attaching member lb by the eyelet 5b, and said member 3b is provided with cut-outs lb similar to the cut-outs l previously described. Likewise, the member lb is pro vided with the holes or apertures 81; similar to those previously designated 8 as to the construction of Figures 3 and 4. The member 311 obviously gives a broad, actuating area practically entirely across the arch of the foot and shoe, and its advantages will be quite apparent.

As regards the construction of Figures 3 and 4, the transversearea and arch formation of the member 5a afford a lateral or transverse massaging action on the arch of the foot as well as a longitudinal massaging action, using the term longitudinal in the sense of the direction of the length of the shoe and also the length of the arch. In the Figure 5 construction the longitudinal massaging action is obtained by the member 31) with a wide transverse actuating action by the arch and to some degree a fairly wide massaging action owing to the transverse area of the part 317.

For spacing the ends of the member 31) from the front of the shoe, protuberances or depressed projections 519, similar to those designated 5 and 5a before referred to, are employed.

Figures 10 and 11 illustrate a modification of the invention in which the heel portion of the insole member I c is equipped with thespring arch plate 3 and also equipped with a somewhat concavo-convex heel arch plate 9 attached at its central portion by an eyelet or rivet l0 to the heel portion of the member I. At its side and rear edges the heel arch plate 9 is formed with downwardly projecting protuberances H to space it from the heel portion of the insole of the shoe. The front portion of the heel arch member 9 is normally spaced from the attachment member I c, when the weight is off the foot and shoe, because the spring arch plate 3 tends to lift the member lc from the front portion of the member 9 at such time. Effectively speaking, the spring arch member 9 affords a cushion plate for the heel of the wearer of the appliance intermediate his heel and the heel portion of the shoe. Thus, as the full weight of the person is received on the heel, the member 9 yields at its central portion and not only gives a cushion effect, but it likewise has the action of a bellows-like pump to force air from beneath the heel, and later, when pressure is relieved from above the member 9, this same bellows-like action will suck air down underneath the heel.

My invention, as previously set forth herein, has been found to be very effective in practical use, for many hundreds of people have been relieved by wearing appliances substantially as constructed and described in conjunction with the foregoing disclosure.

It is to be borne in mind, in reference to the operation of my invention, that the same acts entirely difierent from the ordinary spring or rigid arch supporting or bracing appliances commonly employed for foot treatment, or in shoes today. In the arch supporting contrivances the primary aim isto support and holdup the arch, whereas. in respect to my invention, the design is to permit the arch to move downwardly as the weight of the wearer is received on the sole of the shoe, and thus avail of this movement as an actuating forcefor the ventilating operation of the device, and likewise avail of the movement to enable the massaging effect on the arch of the foot to be obtained. In matter of fact, this massaging effect is peculiar in that as the weight is initially received on the sole of the shoe, the massaging begins at the rear of the foot arch, so to speak, and then as the weight is additionally and fully received on the sole of the shoe, the massaging effect or pressure or rubbing action increases until the whole arch is massaged.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A foot appliance of the class described, comprising an insole flexible attachment member having means foranchoring the same within a shoe upon the sole portion of the latter, and a spring arch member fastened to said attachment member and located so as to space the latter and the arch portion of the arch member a substantital distance away from the shank portion of the shoe, whereby these parts may act with bellows-like effect for circulating air about the foot, and may act with massaging or rubbing effect upon the arch of the foot as the weight of a person upon his foot in the shoe presses upon and relieves the pressure upon said appliance, said spring arch member having cut-outs at portions thereof in the direction of the front and rear portions of the shoe in which it is located, and said flexible attaching member having perforations disposed substantially in register with the cut-outs in the spring arch member.

2. A foot appliance of the class described, comprising an arched yieldable spring member adapted to be seated upon the shank portion of a shoe and having the arch thereof set so as to be normally spaced from said portion, and a flexible insole member with securing means between the two, said insole member being relatively thin so as to readily flex with the spring, said spring member having the character of such light resiliency that it does not afford any support for the arch of the foot but yields progressively to the shape of the foot arch throughout all the changing movements of the foot arch caused by the pressure of walking.

HARRY T. KRAKAU. 

